Review: Control

The last years in the life of Ian Curtis (Sam Riley), lead singer of British band Joy Division. Curtis’ life in Manchester was an unhappy and painful one dealing with not only epilepsy, but the numerous drugs he was prescribed to combat it. He also married young to Debbie (Samantha Morton), has a baby with her, and carries on an affair with a Belgian rock journo (played by Alexandra Maria Lara). Unfortunately, Curtis’ internal struggles would prove to be the end of his short life just as Joy Division were really making a name for themselves. Craig Parkinson turns up as the infamous Tony Wilson, former broadcaster and Factory Records entrepreneur, who famously signed contracts in blood (Leading to one of the film’s few moments of levity where Wilson unfortunately makes a spelling mistake).

 

Joy Division and their troubled front man Ian Curtis figured into Michael Winterbottom’s irreverent “24 Hour Party People”, but Curtis takes centre stage here in this 2007 biopic from debut feature film director Anton Corbijn (a former rock photographer who actually took photos of Curtis) and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh (“Nowhere Boy”), working from the book by Deborah Curtis herself. It’s obviously a deeper portrayal with Sam Riley very effective in the lead, with absolutely no disrespect meant to Winterbottom and the memorable performance Sean Harris gave in “24 Hour Party People”. Corbijn and Riley simply have more to work with here, the film is more of a complete picture. Both films are solid, one is entertaining, and this is the other one, but that doesn’t mean the film has no merit. Riley (who looks more like Curtis than Harris did) certainly gets Curtis’ physicality on stage down pat. Just look at the scene where he’s singing ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. Aside from being shot in B&W, it looks identical. Uncanny. But he gets inside the guy’s skin as much as is likely humanly possible. I never really felt like I was watching an actor, always a good sign.

 

Like the other film, you get the sense that this guy just wanted to end it. He didn’t want to do his life anymore. Obviously, this is the more substantive depiction of this, but “24 Hour Party People” was about Tony Wilson, not Joy Division or Ian Curtis. Curtis in a way reminds me of Kurt Cobain, though I think the latter had more talent IMHO. Both guys have everything of themselves to music, but their lives were painful and neither guy seemed to have a clue what to do with success or fame.

 

The other thing to talk about here is the film’s look. Shot in B&W by cinematographer Martin Ruhe, it’s the perfect look for this rather dour, glum story. This wasn’t shot in B&W just to be pretentious, arty, or contrary, it actually adds to the mood of the film. It’s a drab, grey, and harsh film in the best way possible, and colour just wouldn’t look right here, if you ask me. I don’t think there were many colours making an appearance in Curtis’ life (A life that ended, by the way, exactly one month after I was born. 1980 was a bad year for musicians, but surely my birth made up for that, right? Right?). B&W also really, really agrees with star Alexandra Maria Lara, who looks absolutely edible here as a Belgian interviewer. I want one! (Unfortunately, Mr. Riley beat me to it. Lucky bastard!)

 

A well-made, rather straight-forward piece of storytelling that isn’t very entertaining. Whether that matters or not, I’ll leave up to you, I certainly won’t dock it any points for being miserable. It certainly feels authentic, realistic, and convinced me. I think Joy Division fans will get the most out of it, but I really have no complaints here at all.

 

Rating: B-